Raise Royalty in Princess Maker 5, Announced for Steam with April Release Date

The final entry in the popular life simulation series Princess Maker is coming to PC via Steam this month, and I couldn't be happier. I've waited for years for the entire collection to be available in English, and now I can grab most of them (excluding Princess Maker 4, at least) in the same place. So I'm thrilled that the latest iteration is coming to Steam where I can have every volume in one place for safekeeping.

Developer Gainax is responsible for series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and FLCL, two personal favorites of mine. The studio's influence is felt throughout the entire series, though it's seen in this entry in particular. The Princess Maker series finds you raising a young girl as her caretaker, bringing them up into a regal young woman with specific traits and abilities required of royalty.

You get eight years in-game with customizable traits including manners, studies, and others to make your princess into the most enviable in the world. You'll also need to manage her relationships with the people around her. She can get married, of course, as well. You can choose to be her mother or father at the beginning of the game as you raise her into a child you can be proud of -- the only child I'll ever be proud of, because I don't want real ones. Ever.

If you've never played a Princess Maker game, don't dismiss it as a game for girls, as that's certainly not what it is. Give it a try when Princess Maker 5 debuts later this month, and you may stumble onto a new genre you didn't know you enjoyed.

Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, Brittany is a Senior Editor at Shacknews who thrives on surrealism and ultraviolence. Follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake and check out her portfolio for more. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!